2019/09/30 by Ahmet Coskuner, Andrea Mitridate, Andres Olivares +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Astrophysics #Condensed matter physics #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark matter #Dirac (video compression format) #Modulation (music) #Optics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Random lasers and scattering media #Scattering #Scattering rate #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.103.016006
published as Phys. Rev. D 103, 016006 (2021) · 22 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. v2: fixed error in the derivation of the dielectric tensor. Absorption rate modulation, and reach plots updated accordingly
arxiv created 2020/06/13 · openalex publication_date 2021/01/06 · arxiv updated 2021/01/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Dirac materials, because of their small O(meV) band gap, are a promising target for dark photon-mediated scattering and absorption of light dark matter. In this paper, we characterize the daily modulation rate of dark matter interacting with a Dirac material due to anisotropies in their crystal structure. We show that daily modulation is an O(1) fraction of the total rate for dark matter scattering in the Dirac material ZrTe5. When present, the modulation is dominated by the orientation of the material's dielectric tensor with respect to the dark matter wind and is maximized when the crystal is oriented such that the dark matter wind is completely aligned with the largest and smallest components of the dielectric tensor at two different times of the day. Because of the large modulation, any putative dark matter scattering signal could be rapidly verified or ruled out by changing the orientation of the crystal with respect to the wind and observing how the daily modulation pattern changes.